I would let birds perch on my shoulder if they didn't freak me the hell out.

I've wanted to do this illustration for awhile, but kept putting it off because I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to go about it and wanted it to be PERFECT.  Well, it's not perfect but I am mostly happy with it.  I think it's a little too stiff and the face looks a bit weird compared to the neck. Maybe another revision of it to come someday.

The theme for Illustration Friday this week is "Vanity."  It's been too long since I've submitted work to IF; I get distracted so easily!  My interpretation is a bit literal, but I couldn't get my mother's voice out of my head: "Abby, just put on a little lipstick!"

Happy, Ma?

In November, I'm supposed to show some paintings at Divani Chocolate in Foxburg, PA. 

I haven't gotten very far. 

I've felt like abandoning this painting so many times, then I start to like it again, then I just go work on something else...

I finished a drawing yesterday that is similar to a pen and ink experiment I submitted early this summer for a t-shirt contest. Sometime soon I would like to get a profile set up on Society6 to sell prints and other products, but I want at least three good, solid pieces to start out with.  Since I can't use the design I turned in for anything due to the clothing company owning the copyright (I know, I'm a sucker), this is what I came up with:

I'm glad I scanned in the drawing in its first stage; I think I like it the best.  I have a couple other illustrations I think I will use to start with, too.

Ugh, I have a headache.  Back up at 4:30 am to get people their coffeecoffeecoffee.

So, this week's IF theme is "disguise."  I almost forgot about it and planned on working on some other things in the studio today, but decided to do this instead.  I have the day off tomorrow so I'll work on said 'other' stuff then. I swear I work on other art besides IF!  Hopefully I'll get enough done tomorrow so I can post some progress here.  Anywho, this is my interpretation of "disguise":

(it's supposed to be a cicada on a tree)...yeah!

Unfortunately I didn't spend much time sketching out other possible ideas or worry too much about being scientifically accurate.  I suppose the latter doesn't matter (ha! that sounds funny) too much for this project, though.  While hovering over my drawing table, I was really excited about what was happening, then I stepped back for a second and thought...'what? That's what it looks like?'  I've been having a lot of those days lately in the studio.  Just for fun I scanned in some preliminary sketches and the black and white version of this drawing.  

For the past month or two I've been participating in an artist's challenge called "Illustration Friday."  It's just a fun, low-key website where a different word is posted each Friday.  You have a week to post an illustration that interprets the word in any way you choose.  I started doing this in order to help me build up my illustration portfolio, since I only took one illustration course in college.  I especially like it because you post a link right to your website or blog, so you don't have to worry too much about copyright issues.

I've been remiss the past couple weeks about IF, but it just so happens that my illustration (that I didn't finish in time to post) for last week's challenge ("imperfect") can also be applied to this week's "swell."  At least I think it does...

A charming physical imperfection, a slight swelling of fat over the top of one's jeans, I present to you the Muffin Top.

Top of the Muffin, to You! 

I am an art school survivor.  

Now that I have completed college, I've moved back into the nest and picked up a part-time gig at a coffee shop to save some cash.  I'm still working on my art almost every day; however, drawing on my bedroom floor was getting cramped to an unhealthy degree.  Luckily, my town is home to the National Transit Building which has been renovated into artist's studios (if you ever happen to roll through Oil City, PA for one reason or another, you must tour this historic building).  So I made a call, snagged one of the smallest (and cheapest) studios they had, and got to work. 


Here is a before (bottom left) and after (bottom right) view of my space:

My degree is quite broad - studio art.  While I concentrated in painting, I can't honestly say I aspire to be a painter, selling my work in galleries and working on commissions.  What I would really love to get into is illustration.  I'm not entirely sure what kind yet, but I've always wanted to see my art published, not just hanging on a wall.  To help me with this, I've drafted the help of the Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market (I also have the children's author and illustrator version).  This annual publication is full of magazine and book publishers, greeting card companies, galleries, etc.  Before starting to contact anyone for freelance illustration work, I wanted to create a self-promotional piece that I could make into postcards to send out.  After a couple revisions, this is what I came up with:

I'm not really sure what possessed me to draw birds flying out of my head, but I just decided to go with it. I mostly dig it.

Once I ordered postcards of this image (through the fantastic overnightprints.com, although I suggest they change their name to threeweeksprintsunlessyouwanttopay70$inshipping.com), I sent some out to 30-some magazine publishers who only wanted to see postcard samples of one's artwork.  It is quite an interesting list, ranging from well-known periodicals to the not-so-well-known.  A few of them include: Baltimore Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Bitch Media, Brewers Association, Business Travel News, The Golfer, and Ladies' Home Journal.  

If I ever hear back from any publications, I know it is going to be awhile...

And so I wait.  
And draw. 
And paint.
And serve coffee.